At doors all over the Heights, I meet the same family over and over. A daughter cutting back her hours to drive her dad to appointments. A couple taking turns sleeping so someone is always awake for Mom. A son on the phone with his fourth home care agency this month, hearing that nobody is available.
Those families are doing the hardest work there is, mostly unpaid, and most of them want the same thing: to keep their person at home, near the people who love them.
The Legislature sets the rates that pay for home care, funds the programs that give families a break, and decides how many people can get services each year. That makes this a budget choice, and it’s one we can make well.
What I will push for in Helena
Paychecks that keep caregivers in the job. Home care workers do skilled, demanding work, and many leave for jobs that ask far less and pay more. Montana has made real progress: the 2023 Legislature funded an average increase of about 18% for direct-care providers, and the 2025 budget added 3% more. [VERIFY] I’ll push to keep those rates rising with costs, and to require that raises reach workers’ paychecks.
Shorter waits. Some Medicaid home and community services carry waits measured in years. Lawmakers decide how many of those slots to fund every two years, and I’ll work to fund enough to clear the backlog.
A break for the family caregiver. Respite care, the Family Caregiver Support Program, and our Area Agencies on Aging help families rest, learn the ropes, and keep going. I’ll vote to fund them and to make them easier to find.
Rides that still work when driving stops. Montana’s TransADE program helps local providers serve older and disabled riders, and every state dollar unlocks several federal transit dollars. I’ll vote to fund it and to protect Medicaid rides to medical appointments.
Helping a neighbor stay home costs the state less than a facility, and it’s what most of us want for our own parents. Big Sky 55+ asked me about all of this in their questionnaire; you can read more in Endorsed by Big Sky 55+.
A family should be able to keep a parent close to home, and the person who helps them should be able to make a life on that work.
Chip in and be part of this at smithformontana.com/donate.